GATE Civil Engineering (CE) PYQs: previous year papers, answer keys and the 2027 syllabus
All 14 official CE papers from 2020 to 2026 with their answer keys (each as a PDF), how the marks were spread across topics, and what changed for GATE 2027.
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GATE CE previous year papers with answer keys
Topic-wise weightage
GATE CE marks by topic, 2020–2026
Marks out of the 85 subject marks in each paper (General Aptitude adds 15), counted from the official papers and keys. Where a year had two sets, the sets are averaged first, so each year counts once. On average, Structural Engineering carried the most marks (16.8 per paper); Environmental Engineering varied the most, from 8 to 14 marks.
Year by year
| Topic | Average | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Structural Engineering | 16.8 | 17.5 | 16 | 17 | 19 | 15.5 | 16 | 16.5 |
| Geotechnical Engineering | 13.8 | 14.5 | 13 | 13 | 16 | 13 | 14 | 13 |
| Water Resources Engineering | 12.6 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 13 | 12 | 14 | 13.5 |
| Environmental Engineering | 11.2 | 11 | 12 | 14 | 13 | 8 | 10.5 | 10 |
| Transportation Engineering | 9.8 | 11 | 8.5 | 10.5 | 6 | 11 | 10 | 11.5 |
| Geomatics Engineering | 4.4 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 7 | 3.5 | 6.5 |
| Construction Materials and Management | 3.3 | 1.5 | 6.5 | 3 | 1 | 6.5 | 4 | 0.5 |
| Linear Algebra | 3.1 | 2 | 3 | 3.5 | 4 | 3.5 | 2.5 | 3 |
| Calculus | 3.1 | 4.5 | 3.5 | 3 | 2 | 1.5 | 4 | 3 |
| Probability and Statistics | 1.9 | 0.5 | 1.5 | 3.5 | 1.5 | 2.5 | 2 | 2 |
| Numerical Methods | 1.9 | 2 | 3 | 1.5 | 2 | 1.5 | 1 | 2.5 |
| Ordinary Differential Equations | 1.8 | 2.5 | 2 | 0.5 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 2.5 | 2 |
| Partial Differential Equations | 1.3 | 1 | – | 2.5 | 2 | 1.5 | 1 | 1 |
GATE 2027 syllabus
What changed in the GATE 2027 CE syllabus
The biggest change among the subjects we cover: structural analysis is reorganised, water resources, environmental, transportation and surveying gain topics, and Construction Materials and Management becomes its own section.
Added or expanded
- Probability: axioms and theorems, statistical independence; PMF, PDF and CDF
- Work and energy methods (virtual work, Castigliano's second theorem); moving loads; stiffness matrix method
- Design and detailing of isolated footings; sheet piles; ground improvement techniques
- Prismatic and mobile channels; rapidly varied flow; flow past sharp-crested weirs; streamflow measurement
- River training structures, earthen dams, seepage through dams, well irrigation
- Tertiary wastewater treatment; sludge treatment; basics of landfill design
- Road design using IRC codes, design vehicle, interchanges, level of service; four-step travel demand modelling
- GNSS and geodetic surveying; cartography and map projections; digital photogrammetry and parallax
- Construction Management: estimation and costing, AOA/AON networks, project monitoring, equipment, contracts; cement chemistry
Removed
- Free vibration of undamped SDOF systems (Engineering Mechanics)
- Prestressed concrete beams; plate girders and trusses in steel design
- Dynamic pile formulae
- Horizontal and vertical curves (surveying); remote sensing and GIS
8 past CE questions are on removed topics
These topics are no longer listed in the 2027 syllabus, so you can give them less time. They stay in the papers (the papers are official), marked in each answer key.
- GATE 2026 CE (Set 1) Q45 · Prestressed concrete
- GATE 2024 CE (Set 2) Q37 · Free vibration of undamped SDOF systems
- GATE 2022 CE (Set 2) Q37 · Free vibration of undamped SDOF systems
- GATE 2022 CE (Set 2) Q39 · Prestressed concrete
- GATE 2021 CE (Set 2) Q17 · Free vibration of undamped SDOF systems
- GATE 2021 CE (Set 2) Q48 · Free vibration of undamped SDOF systems
- GATE 2020 CE (Set 1) Q54 · Prestressed concrete
- GATE 2020 CE (Set 2) Q51 · Prestressed concrete
Compared line by line with the official 2026 syllabus. Source: GATE 2027 information brochure, IIT Madras (revised 27 September 2026).
Download the official GATE 2027 CE syllabus (PDF)Questions about GATE CE
Which topics carry the most marks in GATE CE?
Across the official GATE Civil Engineering papers from 2020–2026, the topics with the most marks per paper on average were Structural Engineering (16.8 marks), Geotechnical Engineering (13.8 marks), Water Resources Engineering (12.6 marks). General Aptitude adds a fixed 15 marks.
Has the GATE 2027 CE syllabus changed?
Yes. The biggest change among the subjects we cover: structural analysis is reorganised, water resources, environmental, transportation and surveying gain topics, and Construction Materials and Management becomes its own section.
Are GATE CE previous year papers still useful for 2027?
Yes, for most topics: the core of the syllabus is the same. Questions on topics removed in 2027 (Free vibration of undamped SDOF systems (Engineering Mechanics); Prestressed concrete beams; plate girders and trusses in steel design) are no longer listed in the 2027 syllabus, so give them less time.
When is the GATE 2027 exam?
GATE 2027 is organised by IIT Madras on 6, 7, 13, 14, 20 and 21 February 2027, in a forenoon (9:30 AM to 12:30 PM) and an afternoon (2:30 PM to 5:30 PM) session. Results are due on 19 March 2027. The date of each paper is announced by IIT Madras.
How many GATE CE papers can I practise on Lemyte?
14 official papers from 2020–2026. Each one runs as a full 3-hour test on an exam-style screen and is marked with the official answer key.